Resource Planning Officer in Manchester

At AQA, we’re committed to advancing education and our people. As the largest provider of academic qualifications in the UK, we mark over 10 million exam papers each year and it’s our people who make this happen.

You’ll play a key part in helping AQA advance education by supporting teachers and students to reach their potential. The Resource Planning Officer role gives you the chance to use your planning skills to shape a smooth, positive experience for every customer who contacts us. You’ll support smart, forward‑thinking decisions by forecasting demand, planning capacity and ensuring the right people are in the right place at the right time. Your work helps advisers deliver a great customer experience and ensures learners of all abilities receive the support they need.

Key Responsibilities

• Creating accurate forecasts across multiple contact channels.
• Building and maintaining capacity plans and adviser schedules.
• Monitoring performance in real time and supporting improvements.
• Assist in developing short and long‑term forecasts for call volumes, email, chat, and other contact types.
• Support the creation and maintenance of capacity plans to ensure adequate staffing across all channels.
• Build and manage adviser schedules using workforce management tools.
• Monitor real‑time performance, provide real‑time performance reporting and make intraday adjustments to optimise service levels.
• Produce and analyse historical data to identify trends, variances, and improvement opportunities.
• Prepare and distribute weekly forecast packs detailing projected interaction volumes, staffing requirements, capacity levels, and performance expectations to internal stakeholders.
• Lead weekly planning and capacity meetings with operational stakeholders, presenting forecasts on volumes, shrinkage, and performance expectations.
• Support with administrative duties related to the recruitment of seasonal resource.
• Collaborate with Operations and Training teams to align planning with business needs.
• Produce regular reports and dashboards for internal stakeholders.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives within the planning function.

What’s In It For You

This role gives you the chance to make a real impact every day. You’ll benefit from:

• Work that directly improves customer experience.
• Opportunities to grow your planning and analytical skills.
• Join a supportive, values‑driven organisation, a charity where every colleague is passionate about education and supporting teachers and learners.
• Flexible working arrangements to support work‑life balance – 2 days per week in the office, a 35‑hour working week, 25 days annual leave with additional closure in December.
• A collaborative, inclusive culture that values your ideas – the opportunity to join lots of network groups (LGBTQ+, neurodiversity, disAbility, empowering women, wellbeing, ethnic diversity, parents and carers and more).
• Wellbeing programmes including private health insurance and a health care cash reward plan, subscription to Headspace, volunteering days.

At AQA, we are committed to fostering a workplace that celebrates diversity and promotes equity and inclusion. We believe that a diverse team brings richer perspectives and drives better outcomes. Our ED&I strategy ensures that everyone—regardless of religion, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, age, disability, sexual orientation, or background—is valued, respected, and empowered to thrive. We actively promote inclusive language, avoid stereotypes, and strive for representation across all dimensions of diversity. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and lived experiences.

What We Are Looking For

You’ll thrive here if you enjoy solving problems, working with data and supporting colleagues. We’re looking for:

• Experience in resource planning or workforce management.
• Strong analytical and communication skills.
• Confidence using Excel and workforce management tools.
• Ability to adapt in a fast‑paced environment.
• A proactive approach and good attention to detail.

Full Job Description Summary

AQA is much more than just an awarding organisation; our purpose is to advance education by enabling teachers and students to realise their potential. Our purpose is the reason AQA exists – we’re here to make a positive difference in the world by bringing out the best in teachers and students. This role plays a critical role in ensuring the efficient and effective delivery of customer service within the contact centre and wider AQA. This position is responsible for forecasting demand across multiple contact channels, developing capacity plans, scheduling resources, and monitoring real‑time performance to meet service level agreements, customer expectations driving a forward‑thinking customer‑centric way of working. Passionate about improving the Customer Experience through smart strategic planning, the Resource Planning Officer reports directly to the Resource Planning Manager. Working closely with operational teams, the role ensures resource plans are aligned with business objectives, campaign activity, and customer demand. Responsibilities include producing actionable insights through data analysis, supporting workforce management strategies, and contributing to continuous improvement initiatives. Collaboration with the Customer Intelligence Team is key to sharing data and insights that drive smarter decisions. A core responsibility is identifying risks to service performance and recommending mitigation strategies, while ensuring compliance with working time regulations, internal policies, and industry standards.

Skills & Experience

• Experience in a resource planning or workforce management role, preferably in a contact centre.
• Strong communication skills, agility, and a deep understanding of contact centre operations.
• Proficiency in Excel and workforce management tools (e.g., NICE IEX, Verint, Puzzel, Genesys, Calabrio).
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving and time management skills.
• Excellent communication and organisational skills.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and presentation skills.
• Ability to work in a fast‑paced and dynamic environment.
• Ability to work under pressure and adapt to changing priorities.
• Proactive approach with good attention to detail.
• Knowledge and experience of data analysis tools such as SQL or Power BI is advantageous.